A Night to Remember...

...if only we could...

Sumner Farrelli's Special Wine Dinner, sponsored by Maryhill Winery, Goldendale, WA.

http://www.farrellispizza.com/

http://www.maryhillwinery.com/

Being a regular customer of Farrelli's Wood Fired Pizza restaurant in Sumner, we got an email invitation to their first ever wine pairing dinner, with wine provided by Maryhill Winery.  Of course we jumped on it.  The email said it would be five courses with seven wines for $33.95 per person.  Heck yeah!!  We figured smaller glasses and tasting samples with each course... it was a steal.

We got waaaaaaayyyyyyy more than we bargained for.

As it turned out, we ended up with (technically) six courses and eight wines... and full size glasses that were kept filled throughout the dinner.

We started the evening with a glass of Muscat Canelli.  I don't normally like sweet wines at ALL, but this was a very nice start to the dinner, and it actually got better as we sipped it.  Not clingy at all... no weird aftertaste like a lot of sweet wines have.  I was impressed.

The first course was an exquisite Fettuccini Tuscan... garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tossed with al dente fettuccini in a basil cream sauce with a drizzle of sweet balsamic down the side.





It was served with chardonnay.  I usually notice all the fruit notes, but miss the buttery/creamy undertones when I drink this wine.  When I tasted it with this particular dish, I said to Brian "It tastes like butter!  Do you taste that?"  lol!!

The next course was Consume Rizi Bizi, with sherry...



We were told to taste it plain first, before the sherry was added.  It tasted like a really nice chicken soup with rice and peas.  The sherry took it to a completely different level, and continued to do so as it mellowed in the broth.  At this point we were basically told to drink up, because another white wine was on the way and our glasses needed to be empty.  This was the "transitional" wine, which is their "Winemaker's White".  It is a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Blanc, Semillon, and Viognier grapes.  It was okay in my opinion, but having grown up knowing what each varietal grape should taste like, it just seemed a little blah for me.  About the same time, the main course was coming so they started pouring the one red they served... the Cabernet Sauvignon.  To demonstrate the difference decanting makes, they poured some directly out of the bottles into our glasses.  Mind you, Brian and I were still working on the last white at this point.  We took a sniff and a sip from the Cab, and I have to tell you the tannins were almost overwhelming.  I suppose that was the point.  We continued to drink the white blend until our main course arrived...



Chicken breast stuffed with house-made sausage, ricotta, and herbs, topped with wild mushroom ragu (although I didn't see or taste any mushrooms... it was still fantastic).  The veg was a roasted green bean and carrot thing... very tasty.  By this point the Cab has had time to breathe and the previous white has been sucked down.  All is well with the world.

In true gourmet style, the salad comes after the dinner...



...and with the salad comes the pinot gris... which happens to be our favorite drink-at-home wine.  I think this salad was my favorite part of the whole dinner.  Arugula, Parmesan, Romano, and prosciutto, with a balsamic dressing... omg it was so good... especially paired with the crisp flavors of the pinto gris.

Next came the sorbet.  It was a lovely citrus concoction, which I thought would be served on it's own with a glass of the next wine with it... which it kinda was...



I just thought the wine would be in a separate glass...



This was some rare Italian sparkling wine that (at that point) I couldn't possibly remember.  It was darn tasty though!

Last but not least was dessert.  It was an apple crisp, served with vanilla whipped cream, caramel sauce drizzle, and Gewurztraminer.  Gewurztraminer... at that point in the evening, not even Bryan the Wine Guy could pronounce that word...



The entire evening was, in a word, awesome.  Incredible food, great information, and just a really good time.



left to right- Bryan the wine guy, Jack the food guru, and Mike the chef.  All awesome guys.

I know both Farrelli's and Maryhill lost money on this dinner.  There were only six couples who showed up, but I hope to heaven that doesn't discourage either of them from trying this again.  This was just the maiden voyage in what I hope will become an epic journey.  It truly was a night to remember, and we can't wait for the next one!!

Where NOT to eat at Pike Place Market, Seattle WA

Yesterday we decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip up to the big city, just to get out of the house and take some pictures.  It was already about 1:30 by the time we left, so we planned on eating when we got there and calling it a late lunch/early dinner.  We had all eaten in multiple restaurants there before, so we knew there would be a variety of cuisines to choose from and everyone would be happy.

We started walking down Post Alley, which is like half a block up from the main market street.  Coming down Pine Street, take a left into the alley just before you reach Sur le Table.  We thought it was best to not let me even pass that store.  It is a very dangerous place for me (and my checking account).  But I digress...

About halfway down the alley is the entryway into a bunch of shops and small restaurants.  We see signs for several different food establishments, so we go in.  For some inexplicable reason, we walk right past Pike Place Chowder.  Big mistake, but I'll get back to that later.  We decide on Pike Place Pasta Bar.



Looks okay, doesn't it?  Yeah we thought so too.

We were wrong.  Let me sum up my feelings about this place with another photo...



It's hard to know where to begin describing my dissatisfaction with this place.  First, we sit down at the bar running along the front of the kitchen.  We're sitting there for several minutes before the guy even notices we're there.  Sure there were a few other people there also, but most of them already had their food and were eating.  He was standing there schmoozing with them, but hey... we hadn't really decided what we wanted to order yet, so that was fine.  When we had decided, Brian says something to that effect and they guy says (rather loudly) "It'll be a minute."  Yeah okay fine again.  About another five minutes go by, as I'm watching him slop sauce onto plates for people who came in AFTER us.  Still no one has taken our order.  He kinda glares over at us (like we're some sort of annoyance), then calls his assistant kid over to take our order.  Said assistant kid was sitting at the end of the bar, in the middle of eating his lunch.  Uh yeah... that's just who I want serving my food... some poor kid who is probably sitting down to eat for the first time today and gets pulled away from his meal.  Greeeeeeeeaaaaaaattttttttt.  Forging ahead, we order.  We had all decided to get the same thing... the fettucine alfredo special with chicken.  We were informed that it was close to closing and they were out of chicken.  It was only about 3:20, and their posted closing time was 5:00.  Whatever.  Miko and I decide to get ours with no meat, and Brian gets his with Italian sausage.  Disgruntled hungry boy gets to work.  We get our Caesar salads, served in those red and white cardboard french fry containers.  The dressing was watery and flavorless.  As I ate down through mine, most of the lettuce on the bottom was black and rotted.  I stopped about halfway through and set it aside.  About this time, the kid informs us there is no fettucini.  Let's see... no chicken... no fettucini for our fettucini alfredo.  I am working up to full-blown pissed.  I'm hungry.  I'm losing patience.  He says they have spaghetti and penne.  FINE!!  I get spaghetti, Miko and Brian get penne.  Head guy tears himself away from the other end of the counter to literally throw three bundles of something wrapped in foil at us.  Turns out it was our alleged garlic bread.  Smashed.  Soggy.  Not good at all.  Finally our not-fettucini alfreado arrives.  Miko has like MAYBE 12 pieces of pasta on her plate.  I poke the sauce around on my spaghetti and take a bite...

It's cold.  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?  He stood right there and made it in front of me!  The sauce is runny and has about as much flavor as school paste.  Miko takes a bite of hers and looks at me.  The look is not good.  I take another bite, just because I'm SO damn hungry, but I can't even choke down anything more than that.  Miko says she's not going to eat any more of hers, and I agree.  I go into barely-under-my-breath bitch-mode, and Brian suggests Miko and I leave before it escalates into a full-blown incident.  I decide that as embarrassing as it is for the two of us to just get up and leave, it would be even more embarrassing if I were to create the scene that was building in my head.  As this is going on, I hear our server ask the head guy what he's doing.  He says... wait for it... he's making fettucini.  Yeah.  Because someone might possibly order it.  Because it is the special that day.  Yeah.  We walk.

Between the pasta place and the front door is Pike Place Chowder.




It is crowded.  There is a line.  You can hear people saying how good the chowder is.  We get in line.  The girls taking our order are pleasant.  We take our tray and head to the seating outside.  The chowder is hot and flavorful.  The base is creamy... the potatoes are chunky... the clams are tender... and you get a nice piece of REAL sourdough bread with it.



It was very good.

There are a lot of really great restaurants and storefront food places to eat around Pike Place Market.  My recommendation is to eat at ANY of them EXCEPT Pike Place Pasta Bar.

Best Vegetable Lasagna Ever

Great for kids and those pesky vegetarians in your life!

Don't think you're doing yourself any justice by chopping and grating everything by hand... it's just as good (if not better) if you buy everything pre-done and just slap it together. Serve with a frozen garlic cheese bread and a bag of ceasar salad mix and people will worship you. 

2-15 oz. jars alfredo sauce 

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well 

1-2 T. olive oil 

1/3 C. sliced shallots 

3 large cloves garlic, mashed 

1 1/2 lbs. crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped (buy pre-sliced and just run a knife through them a couple of times) 

1 large carrot, grated 

1/4 C. roasted red bell pepper, chopped 

2 C. frozen chopped broccoli 

1/2 t. kosher salt 

pepper 

cooked lasagna noodles 

1- 16 oz. carton ricotta 

1 C. parmesan, divided 

4 C. shredded Italian blend cheese (or plain mozzerella) 

In large saute pan, cook shallots, garlic, mushrooms, carrot, and bell pepper until tender. Add broccoli and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat alfredo sauce and spinach in saucepan (yes, put the spinach IN the alfredo sauce). Mix half of parmesan into ricotta and add more pepper, if desired. Pour just enough alfredo into bottom of 9x13 baking dish to cover. Layer 1/3 of noodles, half of ricotta mix, half of vegetable mix, 1/3 of sauce mix, and 1/3 of shredded cheese; repeat layers. Top with another layer of noodles, remaining sauce, shredded cheese, and parmesan. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. 

Something else that's been distracting me...

I recently purchased a wonderful new toy... a Canon EOS Rebel DSLR camera.  I've always been a bit of a shutterbug, and having a good camera really helps.  At the encouragement of friends and family, I have opened an Imagekind shop to hopefully share my photos with those who are interested.  Please check out my shop and consider my prints for your wall decor needs!